Sinful Disciples
by Skepsis
Summary: Upon his arrival to Orochimaru’s hideout, Sasuke is met with a powerful opponent of the past. Little does he know, this past adversary will quickly become one of his closest allies as he, along with their ill mentor, carry out Orochimaru’s dark tasks thro


Sinful Disciples

**Summary:** Upon his arrival to Orochimaru's hideout, Sasuke is met with a powerful opponent of the past. Little does he know, this past adversary will quickly become one of his closest allies as he, along with their ill mentor, carry out Orochimaru's dark tasks throughout the course of their training.

**A/N:** AU simply because I brought Haku back and kept Kimimaro alive. The majority of this story, naturally, will have nothing to do with canon since the creator decided to leave the details of Sasuke's training up in the air and have him mysteriously turn incredibly powerful and apathetic in the course of two years. This story is my take at filling in the gap, as Sasuke and his new team assassinate, infiltrate, and sabotage various countries, running in to a variety of cannon characters and Akatsuki along the way. No pairings (too bad Haku isn't a girl.)

* * *

The Gathering

His journey had been long, treacherous, but most of all, it had been miserable.

_I don't like rain._

Sasuke thought simply. Now, you might wonder why the acclaimed genius of his year was thinking at such an elementary level. Well, to put it simply, he didn't want to think. If he were to think, he would dwell on his treachery.

He would wonder if Naruto, whom he had defeated not an hour ago, had rolled over and drowned in a puddle of mud. He would worry. And then, he would realise that his bond with his best friend wasn't truly lacerated, and _that_, that was a terrifying thought.

For friendship would only deter his growth, and retard his aspiration for killing the man that murdered his entire family, and then forced him, on two occasions, to view the entire event over, and over, and over, _and over again_—for a grand total 144 hours of inconceivably cruel psychological torture.

It's an amazing thing, how easily love is malformed in to hate. Couples will often hate the partners they loved for years because of a betrayal of passion. But that is a person that you _learned_ to love. A sibling, especially your older sibling, you were _born _to love. And there is no greater stimulant for hate than the mass murder of family.

_Itachi._

No, companionship was not the way to power; it was hatred, rage, and malice that would fuel his will to gain supremacy. Friendships were for bakers and merchants. Ninja were apathetic, merciless, and most of all, focused.

Friends complicated things. Hatake Kakashi had proven as much when he first encountered the perverted teacher. He vividly remembered the mock-choice he had offered Sakura,

"_Kill Naruto or Sasuke dies."_

She was too weak to do anything. She still is and she always would be. But not Sasuke, he took his first steps to liberate himself from the deadweight of emotional attachment.

It was in the midst of these thoughts that Sasuke stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes morphing to a blood red and intensely focusing on an individual cloaked by the shadows of the forest.

The Uchiha's face almost immediately washed over with recognition, a visible shade of caution, and even a tinge of fear—something that had only happened twice in the past, against two demons.

"Good evening Sasuke, it's nice to see you again." The familiar figure said courteously.

"How can this be? How are you alive?" The young Konoho missing-ninja asked hesitantly after a moment, having confirmed that this was neither a chameleonic disguise nor a masterfully constructed illusion.

"You're not the only one that can come back from the dead." the masked mist hunter-shinobi stated with slightest tone of amusement in his voice.

Sasuke stared at his 'murderer' for a moment, stunned, and then his face shifted to a confident smirked. "So am I lucky enough to secure a rematch, Haku?" he asked, his eyes' tomoes rotating eerily as adrenaline rushed through his exhausted body, eagerly awaiting the chance to demonstrate his mastered Taijutsu and awe-inspiring assassination technique.

The foreign ninja didn't move, and remained in his relaxed posture, content to stand in the shadows.

"I assure you, it's pure coincidence that you're a missing ninja, and that I bear this hunter-nin mask across my face; Lord Orochimaru has instructed me to merely greet and entertain you while we wait for the rest of the party assisting in your escape."

Sasuke stopped, "you're with Orochimaru?"

"Yes," the boy, Haku, patiently replied before continuing, "I am waiting-"

"The Sound 4 are dead." Sasuke interrupted blankly, knowingly.

"Truly? They were excellent ninja. However, if I remember correctly, Konoho ninjas are just full of surprises...nonetheless, the fifth member of your proclaimed 'Sound 4' has yet to pass on; _my_ captain is peerless."

The Uchiha's eyebrows raised in question, "Your captain?"

"Yes, Kaguya-sensei, I can sense his chakra-presence approaching as we speak, he'll be here shortly."

Sasuke stopped for a moment, having recognized the name, and attempted to locate the root of recognition that arose when he heard the name "Kaguya."

After a moment he remembered, yes, his father was, at one time, speaking pridefully, comparing the Uchiha bloodline to other prominent clans throughout the country, and Kaguya was perhaps one out of three families to possess innate abilities that had power comparable to the Sharingan.

They were a family that manipulated the bones within their bodies to create sickly-sharp weapons, dangerously accurate projectiles, or, in some cases, nearly impenetrable suits of armor.

And, after a few more seconds had passed, Sasuke, too, could feel the approaching chakra presence. It was moving so rapidly that, by the time Sasuke decided to hesitantly turn his back on Haku, he could see a white blurred figure far down the path he himself had walked, elegantly leaping on the different branches with truly amazing speed and dexterity.

Not another few seconds went by before the figure closed the large distance and gracefully hopped from the tree. Sasuke couldn't help but notice how much slower the Kaguya was when he allowed gravity to take its effect instead of moving with his chakra-infused muscles.

"I apologize for being late, I got some sand in my shoe and had to pick it out." the boy, who couldn't be much older than Haku or Sasuke, said ominously.

"Not a problem, Uchiha-san was rather late as well. But thank you for flaring your chakra so that we knew your arrival was eminent, Kaguya sensei." Haku responded, courteously (as always.)

Sasuke noticed the Kaguya take a deep breath, close his eyes, and, with the patience of a midwife who has had dozens of two-year olds screaming throughout her house, responded:

"Haku, I am not your sensei. I am your captain. You _will_ call me Kimimaro or I _will_ use my bones," and a long, razor sharp bone sprouted between his knuckles, "to make your '_book'_ match its cover."

(Sasuke didn't get it)

"Yes Kaguya-sensei."

Multiple needles pierced Kimimaro's skin in waves, traveling along in ripples, and Sasuke deduced this was a way for the Kaguya to handle frustration. He watched fascinated, as the pierced skin quickly healed itself once the bones retracted, his healing capabilities were perhaps superior to even Naruto's, as continuously resumed the gentle (but rather painful) protrusion and retraction of needle-thin bones in a wave-like sequence throughout his body.

"Just grab the seal before I activate it" The Kaguya said curtly, motioning for Sasuke to do it as well—which he promptly did, immediately breaking his captivated state.

"As you wish, Kaguya-sensei." Haku replied politely, oblivious to Kimimaro's frustration, and the masked ninja grabbed the seal as well.

As the air wrapped and condensed around them, the defeated sigh of Kimimaro Kaguya extended throughout the space-time portal and was inexplicably heard by everyone from the quiet forest path to Orochimaru's isolated hideout as if it were a simple gust of air.

* * *

**Skepsis**


End file.
